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Daily Archives: September 1, 2010

The calendar turned to September on Wednesday and Jeff Nettles got the memo.

Nettles drove in the tie-breaking run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Patriots defeated the Camden Riversharks 3-2 to complete a three-game sweep at TD Bank Ballpark.

Wayne Lydon, who homered earlier in the game, singled and stole second base ahead of the decisive double by Nettles. The slugging third baseman began to put behind him the memory of a 9-for-60 performance in August.

Nettles entered the game as a .309 hitter with 15 home runs and 70 RBIs in 74 September games for the Patriots.

Four relievers combined on 6 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Jonathon Ellis, whose command issues led to his removal after giving up two runs on three hits and four walks in 2 1/3 innings.

Ben Grezlovski picked up the win and Scott Williamson got the save, but Andrew Dobies truly preserved the victory.

After allowing two straight hits to open the eighth, Dobies retired three straight hitters with runners on the corners to keep the Patriots ahead 3-2.

Starting pitcher Jason Monti went six quality innings and handed off a lead to a dynamic bullpen, which took it the rest of the way and secured a 5-2 victory for the Patriots.

It was the 900th win for the franchise and for its only manager (Lyle).

Monti (4-6) walked three and struck out three. One of the two hits he allowed was a solo home run to Richie Robnett in the second inning.

The Patriots evened the score in the bottom of the second on a RBI groundout by Jason Belcher and took a 2-1 lead on Joe Burke’s single in the third.

Jeff Nettles homered in the sixth and, after seeing their lead trimmed to 3-2, the Patriots scored twice in the bottom of the eighth. The first three batters of the inning reached on bunt singles, including Burke’s RBI squeeze bunt.

Andrew Dobies, Jeff Kennard and Scott Williamson each tossed an inning of relief.

Kennard gave up a run in the top of the eighth but retired Chris Malec with the potential tying run on first base.

BRIDGEWATER — The Atlantic League’s all-time winningest manager cannot name most of the skippers still ahead of him in the minor-league baseball record book.

But Sparky Lyle has not forgotten learning from one of them — even 44 years later as he patrols the dugout for the Somerset Patriots.

“I know there are some guys who have managed in the minors for 30 years,” Lyle said prior to earning his 900th career Tuesday night. “Like Eddie Popowski — he’s the guy I learned the one pitch I throw from.”

No, not the unhittable slider that fueled a Cy Young Award-winning career.

“The one I throw over my hip,” Lyle said.

The 66-year-old trickster puts a baseball in his left hand, whips his arm across his body and releases the ball over his right shoulder.

It’s a spectacular sight and it’s Lyle’s lasting memory of spending the 1966 season at Double-A Pittsville under Popowski, a Sayreville native who accumulated 1,568 minor-league wins for the Boston Red Sox organization before his death in 2001.